New technology that can transfer data 10 times faster

Researchers have developed a terahertz (THz) transmitter capable of transmitting digital data at a rate 10 times or more faster than that offered by the fifth-generation mobile networks (5G) expected to appear around 2020.

The terahertz transmitter could make it possible for the whole content on a DVD (digital versatile disk) to be transferred in a fraction of a second, according to the research scheduled to be presented at the International Solid-State Circuits Conference (ISSCC) 2017 being held from February 5-9 in San Francisco, California.

The terahertz band is a new and vast frequency resource expected to be used for future ultrahigh-speed wireless communications.

"Terahertz could offer ultrahigh-speed links to satellites as well, which can only be wireless. That could, in turn, significantly boost in-flight network connection speeds, for example. Other possible applications include fast download from contents servers to mobile devices and ultrafast wireless links between base stations," said one of the researchers Minoru Fujishima, Professor at Hiroshima University in Japan.